City Guides

Student City Guide To London: Top 10 Things To Do

You’ve decided to study in London – congratulations! You’ve just made the best decision of your life so far. You hardly need us to tell you why life in the capital and the largest city in the UK is so great, but nonetheless, here’s our list of the top ten things to do in the city that never sleeps.

What it is... A fun way to see all of London’s main sights and learn some important info.

Why you should go... London is huge. And while most tours will only cover the central London area, it’s still a good way to get you bearings when you first arrive and get an idea of where all the main attractions are in relation to one another. You have plenty of choice when it comes to sightseeing tours in London: you can go by foot, by bus, by riverboat or take the Duck Tour – the ‘duck’ being an amphibious vehicle that can travel on the roads and in the river. You’ll either have a recorded or live guide telling you all about the history of the city. A live guide will typically inject some humour into proceedings, and will be able to answer any questions you have about the big smoke. Here’s a list of some of the London tours you can take:

Good for... Learning all about London, entertaining parents, providing hours of fun.

What it is... London’s most notable monuments, museums and attractions.

Why you should go... When you first arrive in London, you’ll shun the tourist attractions. You’re not a tourist, after all. You live here. That will last for about a week. London’s top tourist spots are pretty pricey, but they’re a great way to learn all about the fascinating history of your new home, entertain your friends and family when they come to stay, or just have a jolly good laugh. There are far too many attractions in London to list, but here are a few of the most famous:

Good for...Looking at dinosaur bones, escaping the rain for a few hours.

What it is... Pretty self explanatory — London is full of fascinating museums and art galleries.

Why you should go...London’s museums are world famous and most are free to enter (although donations are really appreciated). Same goes with the art galleries, although you have to pay for special exhibitions. Go out, get cultured, and fill your head with free knowledge. The large central London museums are a must, but there are some fascinating finds off the beaten track as well. Here’s a few of the best of both:

Why you should go...London might not be known for its warm weather, but when the sun is shining, in the park is the place to be. There are eight royal parks in central London, which tend to be the most popular, particularly with tourists. For those willing to venture a little further north there are fantastic views to be had from Primrose Hill, and if you brave the journey south of the river, Crystal Palace is a grade II listed heritage park with a very special surprise in it (hint: it’s dinosaurs). Here are a few favourites:

What it is... London’s finest purveyors of glorious, glorious alcohol.

Why you should go...Because Londoners are essentially alcoholics and pretty much all of our major life events take place in pubs. Birthday? Pub. Anniversary? Pub. Got a big promotion? Pub. Tuesday? Pub. There are quite possibly more pubs in London than there are people, and so attempting to pick out any individual favourites would be sheer folly. Instead, here’s some of the best areas for drinking:

Fleet Street (home to some of London’s oldest pubs)

Whitehall ( a lot of 19th Century pubs, some off duty politicians)

Soho (party pubs, and London’s biggest LGBTQ district)

The City (good for conning rich bankers into buying you champagne)

Everywhere on the Monopoly board (the Monopoly Pub Crawl is a tradition among people who have absolutely no respect for their livers)

What it is... A darkened room generally associated with loud music and heavy alcohol consumption.

Why you should go... Well, you’ve got to go somewhere when the pubs close, and this is London, baby, the city that never sleeps, so there’s no reason why that place has to be ‘home, to bed’ (although it’s probably a good idea the night before an exam). Similarly to pubs, there are too many to list, but trust us when we say there are nightspots to suit everybody’s taste in the capital, whether you’re into reggae, rock and roll, jazz, or dubstep. Here’s a few places to try by area:

The East: Shoreditch, Dalston (full of achingly trendy hipsters dancing to genres of music you didn’t know existed, because you’re just not as cool as them)

Central and West End: Soho, Leicester Square (mainstream pop and dance, some indie, the most expensive drinks on earth)

Why you should go... Sure, you could travel everywhere by tube, but there are so many other ways of getting around in London. Did you know you can use your Oyster card on boats? Or cable cars? Here are all the ways you can get around...

Why you should go... Eating out in London is like nowhere else in the world. Whatever kind of cuisine you crave, from Austrian to Zimbabwean and literally everything in between, you’ll find a restaurant to tingle your taste buds in London, with dining in the capital within reach of all budgets. You’ll find a wide range of options to explore in every area of the city, but here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Street food/world food: Camden, Borough

Steak houses: Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus

Curry: Brick Lane

Burger bars and American diners: Brixton, Soho

Posh nosh: Mayfair, Knightbridge, Kensington

Cheap eats: The West End Kitchen near Piccadilly Circus and Stockpot in Soho are famous for their good food and low prices.

High rise restaurants: (Such as the Searcys on the 39th floor of the Gherkin) the City

What it is... Purveyors of clothes, CDs and all sorts of other shiny new things.

Why you should go...London has some of the best shopping in the world, and whatever you need, you won’t find yourself short of options when it comes to splashing the cash. Here are some of the best places to go shopping in the capital:

Oxford Street (the longest, and quite possibly busiest, shopping street in the UK)

Westfield Centre (two huge shopping malls, one at Shepherd’s Bush, the other at Stratford)

Why you should go... There’s nowhere quite like the West End for stepping out on the town in London. The West End is where you’ll find the main drag of the theatre district on Shaftesbury Avenue and the major cinemas where all the star-studded premiers are held in Leicester Square. It was made for entertainment. Here’s a list of what you’ll find in the West End:

Far and away the largest city in the UK, as well as its capital, London has dozens of universities and higher education colleges spread across the city from the outskirts to the very centre. One of England’s oldest settlements, you’ll be surrounded by both historical monuments and gleaming, modern skyscrapers. Whether you’re looking for museums and galleries or pubs and clubs, you won’t be disappointed by the city’s cultural and social opportunities. London is also a central transport hub, with excellent rail connections to most other major towns and cities in the UK.